What the Hell Did I Just Read – A Review

So this book is completely bonkers, and because of that when I first started reading it I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it. It was just too crazy! But the writing was good … and the characters were rich … and the pages just turned themselves. So my worries were unjustified. This is a thoroughly enjoyable, albeit, insane read.

Let me ask you something.

Are you someone who likes to have fun? Do you like things a little weird? How about really, really weird? And some gross stuff throw in, good? OK, then you need to forget what you were going to do next and get yourself a copy of ‘What the Hell Did I Just Read’. You won’t regret it. Imagine Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency if Douglas Adams had taken a megadose of LSD and binge watched thirty years of horror films.

The story follows David Wong, his girlfriend Amy and their live-wire friend John as they try and solve the mystery of missing children in their town. Things get weird quick, and then keep on getting weirder before moving on to crazy, ludicrous, and downright insane. I’m talking mind-blowingly unimaginable beasts from other dimensions, shadowy CIA like organisations and a shit ton of plastic butts.

The book is fast paced while still taking the time to build up the characters enough that you get a sense that they are real, well real enough for this story anyway. We even get a little serious with the main character’s lack of acceptance of his depression. And as this is David Wong (Jason Pargin) of Cracked alumni, there is a big dose of social satire and pop culture references throw in. Meta man!

Wong has two other books written in this universe, ‘John Dies At The End’ and ‘This Book Is Full Of Spiders’. Both are excellent but you don’t need to read either to enjoy the excellence which is ‘What the Hell Did I Just Read’.